how to: pumps

• Environment: Take into account all environmen-

tal and safety issues before determining suitable
pump drivers, which can be electricity, water,
gas, air or sun.
• Method of control: Determine if the pump will

Critical Factors
be used in continuous manual operation or in
an on/off operational sequence governed by a
process signal; whether the pump flow rate will

in Sizing &
require frequent adjustment or remain at a stan-
dard setting during operations; and the required
accuracy of the dosing injection. Ultimately, the

Selecting
method of control may be the most important
variable in specifying a pump.

Metering Pumps
Pump Control Methods
Several methods are utilized to control dosing
frequency, injection flow rate and amount of chemi-

& Components
cal injected at each dosing.
A micrometer dial is frequently utilized for appli-
cations requiring only manual flow rate adjustment.
Adjusting this dial changes the pump’s stroke length
and allows it to be operated anywhere between 10%
and 100% of its rated flow capacity. Another feature
is a variable speed drive allowing adjustment of the
pump’s stroke speed. The two in unison can provide
additional adjustability or turndown capabilities
over the range of the drive.
A process signal to actuate electric or pneumatic
positioners for automatic flow rate control is often
used to adjust the stroke length, allowing a full
10-to-1 turndown ratio. In this method, the number
of doses remains constant while the size of each
dose is reduced, resulting in uniformly distributed
doses in a constant line of flow.
Variable speed drives allow the pump to inject
a dose of the same size on each stroke. The draw-
back is that when the stroke speed changes, the
doses themselves will vary in frequency. Also, vari-

By Tom O’Donnell
System success is
highly dependent on
proper planning
M
etering pumps are a method of
injecting chemicals into vari-
ous water treatment, chemical
process and agriculture appli-
cations. Their ability to adhere
to dosing schedules, handle
large volumes of chemicals and operate over a wide
variation of pressures makes them an ideal pump
for these applications.
When specifying a metering pump and asso-
ciated equipment, a number of factors must be
considered to assure efficient operations, system
safety and minimum downtime.
Operating Parameters
The following factors are critical when creating
specifications for a metering pump:
• Flow rate: Size the pump so that the maximum
expected flow rate is 85% to 90% of the pump’s
capacity, which is optimum but leaves room
for additional capacity if needed. Unlike other
types of pumps, metering pumps should never
be oversized.
• Chemical composition: Specify the pump mate-
rials according to the corrosion, erosion and
solvent action of the chemicals with which it
will come in contact. The effects of erosion are
especially important when the chemical takes
the form of an abrasive slurry.
• Chemical viscosity: Be aware of the applica-
tion’s chemical formulations, which can range
from extremely thin to highly viscous, and slurry
and off-gas. Chemicals with viscosities that
approach 5,000 cPs or have light suspensions
will require special liquid ends. Those with vis-
cosities up to 20,000 cPs or that contain up to
10% solids will require special diaphragms, while
those that automatically vent accumulated gas
will need their own variety of liquid ends.
able speed drives are not practical on motor-driven
pumps at speeds less than 100 to 150 spm because
slowing the motor causes each stroke to take lon-
ger to complete from start to finish. However, elec-
tronic metering pumps pulsed by a solenoid are
uniform at every stroking speed.
Additional Important
System Components
Other installation components that must be con-
sidered beforehand include:
• Suction piping: Generally, use suction piping that
is one size larger than the pump’s suction connec-
tion, though piping the same size as the suction
connection is acceptable if the metering pump
will operate at a slow speed when transferring
low-viscosity chemicals. Generally, do not use
hard piping that is smaller than ½ in. in diameter
or that is smaller than ⅜ in. in diameter for low-
flow applications that use plastic tubing.
• Discharge piping: The size of discharge piping is
not as critical as that of suction piping, but must
be suitable for the discharge pressure. Typically,
matching the pipe size to the discharge connec-
tion should be sufficient.
• Suction strainer: A suction strainer should always
be used to prevent foreign matter from entering the
pump’s ball checks.
• Flanges/unions/compression fittings: At least
one of these must be installed at the pump’s suc-
tion and discharge ports to more easily facilitate
maintenance procedures.
• Isolation valves: Large-port, quick-opening
isolation valves should be placed at both the
suction and discharge ends of the installation
to ease maintenance operations. Ball valves
are usually the best choice, while needle valves
should not be used because their design will
create a flow restriction.
• Calibration column: Because metering pumps

18 July 2016 | Water & Wastes Digest

 often feature pulsed flow at low volumes, a draw-down calibration col-
New
umn is the most accurate and convenient method to measure pump Vented Water Level Datalogger
performance. A tall, thin column should be used to ensure ease of
reading and reporting accuracy.
• Relief valve: Even if the metering pump has an internal relief valve,
it is recommended that an external relief valve also be installed. The
external relief valve should be set at 50 psi (3.5 bar) or 10% above the
maximum operating pressure, whichever is greater.
• Back-pressure valve: This component is only necessary when the
installation does not produce adequate back-pressure and the pump AquaVent™ Maintenance Free
does not contain a built-in back-pressure device. Vented Water Level Datalogger
• Pressure gauge: The pressure gauge should be sized 30% to 50%
• Water level monitoring with no barometric
larger than the maximum expected pressure that is produced by the
compensation required
system and utilize a diaphragm seal if the pump is to be transferring
• Hydrophobic filters & permanent desiccants
chemicals that are corrosive to stainless-steel gauge parts.
• User replaceable batteries in wellhead
• Pulsation dampener: The pulsation dampener will minimize pres-
• Same reliability & durability as our Levelogger®
sure spikes that may be caused under acceleration circumstances
• High accuracy of 0.05% FS
and, in the case of high-volume pumps, reduce piping harmonics.
• Injection quills/check valves: An injection quill installed at the pump’s The NEW Solinst AquaVent is designed to be
injection pump will serve as a check valve while providing better dis- maintenance free, using hydrophobic filters and
persion of the chemical. In low-pressure applications, an injection quill permanent factory installed desiccants, with
convenient user replaceable wellhead batteries and
that incorporates a corporation stop, which allows the injection quill to
custom designed durable vented cable. The AquaVent
be inserted or removed without having to drain or shut down the sys-
features highly accurate gauged pressure sensor,
tem, will improve efficiency and overall performance. temperature sensor and datalogger.
Compatible with:
Conclusion
• Solinst Levelogger Software & App
To adequately select the optimum metering pump, a critical list of
• SDI-12, Modbus
important variables must be considered, along with an array of system
• Levelogger App Interface
components. Successful, trouble-free chemical injection via metering
pump will only be achieved if all variables are taken into consideration and • DataGrabber™
equipment is adequately selected for the planned application. www.solinst.com
Tom O’Donnell is director of business development for Neptune Chemical Pump Co. High Quality Groundwater and Surface Water Monitoring Instrumentation
and PSG. O’Donnell can be reached at 215.699.8700 or tom.odonnell@psgdover.com.
Solinst Canada Ltd., 35 Todd Road, Georgetown, ON L7G 4R8
Fax: +1 (905) 873-1992; (800) 516-9081 Tel: +1 (905) 873-2255; (800) 661-2023
instruments@solinst.com

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